A couple of days late and a dollar short, but it’s never too late! That just gives us more to complain about.
Have at it.
This post is in: Open Threads, It's Never Too Late for Festivus!
A couple of days late and a dollar short, but it’s never too late! That just gives us more to complain about.
Have at it.
Comments are closed.
The Up and Up
I’m trying to be more social but real life is making that hard. Hope everyone here had a great holiday.
Miss Bianca
I am sitting through hours of end-of-year county commissioner meeting footage trying to get to the point in the budget talks where they start talking about the thing my editor wants me to report on, and listening to these idiots blathering is MAKING ME STABBY.
To the point where Pal D is about to flee the house with the dog.
eclare
Under a boil water advisory in Memphis, and some people here don’t have water at all. The deep freeze did a number on pipes.
Rumor is the boil water advisory will last four to five more days.
Baud
I am upset Festivus isn’t a monthly holiday.
suzanne
Eh, I don’t really want to complain. It’s cold and snowy here, but that’s not so bad. It’s about 25 degrees warmer than it was three days ago.
I am debating when to put away the holiday decorations. In years past, I have done it between January 2 and 6. In 2020, I was feeling so damn un-merry that I did it on Boxing Day. I might do it tomorrow or Wednesday. I like them, but I also am always ready for visual peace and quiet after the holiday.
Baud
One real complaint I currently have is app updates that make things worse.
JCJ
@suzanne: You could make it a boxing day tradition – all the decorations go back in the box!
Scout211
I tried to come up with a few grievances but I just couldn’t think of any . . . until I consulted The Festivus Blog and read the “One hundred grievances for 2022” list. So many to choose from! So many grievances.
But the person who is angry at people who choose not to vote, yeah, I can get behind that one..
ETA. Link fixed
Alison Rose
My father has been in chemo for about a year for bladder cancer. A couple of weeks ago, he was in the hospital for almost a week with a bad UTI. Then a few days after he went home, he started falling a lot and when they took him back to the hospital, they found out he had a blood clot in his leg. He was there for another five or so days, but instead of going home, they sent him to a “post-acute” rehab clinic place. This morning, my mom calls to tell me they took him back to the hospital because he was bleeding in his urine again, since he hasn’t been able to have his chemo treatments for like three weeks now. And we have no idea when he’ll be able to go home, but likely not until after new year’s. And he’s miserable and keeps begging my mom to come get him and bring him home. But she can’t.
So, sorry to all of you in the cold, but I think I win Festivus. Whee.
MagdaInBlack
@Alison Rose: That is not a grievance, that is a true life horror story and I am so sorry you and your family are dealing with this.
Two rabbits
Was the election recap for Michigan posted?
I did a lame search and didn’t see it.
thanks
WaterGirl
@Miss Bianca:
I don’t recall, which ring of hell is that?
WaterGirl
@Baud: We could do that!
Baud
@Alison Rose:
I’m sorry to hear about his situation.
Baud
@WaterGirl:
All of them, Katie!
mali muso
@WaterGirl:
All of them, Katie!
ETA: Of course, Baud got there first.
Starfish
Some of the front pagers on this blog are not committed to the truly important holidays and don’t even bother to celebrate them on the correct day. How am I supposed to know when we get to the feats of strength if we did not air the grievances on schedule?
WaterGirl
@Scout211: Well, I read the first 15 grievances on their list, and I have a problem with most of their grievances!
So far they are mostly lame and aren’t worth the grievance energy! Okay, the voting one I am on board with. Obviously.
Miss Bianca
@WaterGirl:
@Baud: What Baud said.
@mali muso: And you too, of course!
WaterGirl
@Two rabbits:
Can you say more about that? I heard someone wanted a recount somewhere, but I didn’t realize it was actually going to happen.
Can someone fill me in?
WaterGirl
@Baud: @mali muso: As far as I’m concerned, that phrase can be retired along with good news for John McCain. There, that’s my first petty grievance.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Baud: I keep Festivus in my heart all the year ’round.
WaterGirl
@Starfish: Oh, dear.
OzarkHillbilly
@suzanne: I’m still trying to figure out when to take the decorations out and put them up. Maybe in 2029.
sab
Haven’t even read the comments. I was always too late for Festivus (holiday festival of non-religious whiners?) Who outside of tv thought that was a good idea? I immediately react and laugh, and then I am horrified. TV comics don’t think. They just react. My pet guinea pig does that. He is not a rocket scientist either.
mali muso
@WaterGirl: Lol, there you go, that’s the holiday spirit!
WaterGirl
Henry has asked me to forward his grievance about the fucking cold temperatures. HE DOES NOT LIKE THEM and he would like to speak to the manager.
Miss Bianca
@WaterGirl: Well, all righty then…how about we rephrase the answer to your question as, “Whichever ring of hell it is where the demons are piercing your ears with railroad spikes, putting your eyes out with dull sporks, and shouting, ‘TYPE FASTER, MONKEY!'”…all at the same time?
I forget which one that is, offhand.
Jager
I bitch about everything but this lit up our holiday, Our friends Barbara and Guillia joined a chorale group and sang Christmas Carols at the Motion Picture Retirement Home. There was one old guy, alone in his room, reading the Hollywood Reporter and talking to himself. Babs stuck her head in the door and said, ‘Hi” the old dude looked up smiled, and said, “HOW”S YOUR PUSSY?”. Babs Is pretty quick, she paused and then gave him two thumbs up. When she told that story on Christmas Eve, our 89-year-old neighbor Marie’s champagne shot out of her nose.
Sister Golden Bear
Job hunting is soul-crushing — especially because my field there’s multiple rounds of interviews that often take weeks. I’ve sent out more than 200 resumes and done dozens of interviews, but everyone wants to hire people with ~5 years experience (because they’re cheaper) and I’ve got 20+ years.*
Earlier this month I’d finally gotten an offer pending final approval from the CFO, but before they could get the paperwork done, the company announced a hiring freeze until the new year, which has now turned into an indefinite freeze.
*It’s a cycle the industry goes through. Eventually employers realize that they folks can’t handle the more complex projects, and then experienced people become in demand again. And then eventually they’re deemed too expensive and conveniently get laid off. Rinse, lather and repeat.
Baud
@Sister Golden Bear:
I hate, hate, hate job searching. Thankfully, I’m at a place in life where I’ll never have to do it again.
RobertDSC-iPhone 8
I broke my left hand. December 10. Having to do everything with only my right hand is exhausting.
SuzieC
Can’t complain too much. Kari Lake and her lawyers will get sanctioned. And….as icy cold as it is here (Central Ohio), at least I’m not in Buffalo. My God, those poor people.
Baud
@Miss Bianca:
Sounds like the Balloon Juice Ring.
jnfr
@Alison Rose:
Just saw this and wanted to say how sorry I am to hear of it. All the hugs to you and your family.
_______________________________
I have grievances with the difficulty of getting even small parcels through to friends in India and Pakistan. These are music CDs going to other BTS fans, nothing fancy or worth tons of money.
But stuff gets stolen if you use the relatively inexpensive USPS (which is already more expensive than the cost of the CDs), and although Fedex does have its own end-to-end service. it is truly horrendously pricey.
Thus am I celebrating Festivus this week and next.
Raoul Paste
@Jager: I hope I am drinking champagne when I am 89
JPL
@OzarkHillbilly: This year I put up the minimum, and the minimum might stay up for a while.
trollhattan
@Sister Golden Bear: My sympathies.
Some of life’s deepest trenches are experienced between gigs. They eventually all reveal a ladder out but in process, it seems the ladders have all been eaten by termites. You’ll find your ladder!
SpaceUnit
I’ve had a serious case of the blahs for about three months now. Does that count as a grievance?
Otherwise I really shouldn’t complain.
JPL
@Alison Rose: I’m so sorry for you having to deal with this. You might win Festivus future too.
trollhattan
@Raoul Paste: Right? As far as life goals, that’s a great one.
trollhattan
This should totally cheer you all the hell up.
mali muso
@jnfr: On a BTS related note, my kid’s elementary school music teacher continues to show range. One month, kiddo came home telling me that the musician they were learning about was Freddie Mercury and singing Queen songs. The following month it was BTS. Now kiddo makes me play Dynamite and Butter so she can choreograph little dance numbers around the living room.
Baud
Has Kropacetic (sp?) disappeared? I don’t recall seeing his nym recently.
UncleEbeneezer
A friend of mine posted a birthday wish to me on FB and various old friends chimed in. I took one look at the profile of one woman who I never really liked and saw Anti-Fauci and “Wuhan Lab Leak” bullshit etc. So I blocked her and then dropped a comment for everyone else to read that as someone with a double-lung transplant recipient MIL and an Asian-American Nephew (plus hundreds of AA students) I have ZERO tolerance for people who spread Covid vaccine lies and racist conspiracy theories that are fueling hate crimes against Asian-Americans. Nobody responded, commented or even “liked” my comment. I felt bad for 2 seconds, but fuck it, I really don’t want people like her in my life in any way.
Raoul Paste
@trollhattan: Drinking champagne AND laughing? Not bad at all.
eclare
@Alison Rose: I am so sorry for what your family is going through.
David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch
@Baud: I hear ya. I find one of the silver linings of being locked up in a Turkish prison is no more job search.
Sure Lurkalot
@Sister Golden Bear: I’m retired now but noticed in the last 15 years or so highly detailed job descriptions requiring a decent bundle of skills and expertise in a field…and then…”the ideal candidate should have 1-2 years experience.” Yes, the most qualified candidate will cost more and so does hiring the wrong person again and again.
Hoping the new year brings better news on the job front for you.
JPL
WTF Thanks to Brian Beutler
Bolsonaro is not attending Lula’s inauguration January 1st and will instead spend NYE at Mar-a-Lago.
They can cry if they want to.
JPL
WTF Thanks to Brian Beutler
Bolsonaro is not attending Lula’s inauguration January 1st and will instead spend NYE at Mar-a-Lago.
They can cry if they want to.
Geminid
@Baud: He’s operating under a new but similar nym, I believe.
Baud
@David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch:
That, and the baklava is to die for.
pat
My grievance: JUNK MAIL.
I have boxes of the crap lying around. Should just chuck it all in the recycling bin (I asked if they take junk mail, unopened, and they said yes.) But why don’t I? Should I bother to read the many (too many) newsletters from worthwhile stuff that I am happy to contribute to? Go through the boxes to see if there’s something I really should open?
I’m leaning toward chucking the whole lot. Why the hell not? Yes! Tomorrow!! Whee!
Baud
@Geminid:
Thanks!
PatrickG
@Alison Rose:
So sorry to hear. Going through something similar with my mother in law (cancer treatment, she had a TIA and spent Christmas in the hospital, home now at least). My partner is doing her best but there’s just no good answers sometimes.
That said, I can empathize while agreeing you have it worse. Yay?
eclare
@Geminid: Yes, it starts with “krop” IIRC….
Geminid
@JPL: Ah yes, New Year’s Eve at the Losers’ Club. That out to be a lot of fun!
PatrickG
@Alison Rose: also “post-acute” rehab is just awful. Even if necessary.
mrmoshpotato
“Greatest country in the world” without universal healthcare! 🖕
Geminid
@eclare: Or Qrop.
WaterGirl
@Baud: Looking for a job and looking for a place to live, two more rings of hell.
*I think we’re gonna need a lot more rings.
mrmoshpotato
@JPL: Cry harder, Trump trash!
Baud
@WaterGirl:
You can never have too many rings.
WaterGirl
@trollhattan: Definitely a mood lifter if I ever saw one!
WaterGirl
@Baud: He changed his nym. Sadly I don’t recall what he changed it to.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I’ve always wondered whatever happened to Dick Van Patten
WaterGirl
@Baud: snort!
Another Scott
@WaterGirl:
They told us in November.
HTH!
Cheers,
Scott.
OzarkHillbilly
@JPL: I know some people just leave them up all year. Every year. Sometimes they don’t even bother to replace the burned out bulbs. I just skip it all together.
Shhhhh… don’t tell anyone… I heard my wife telling my niece how much she enjoys seeing the lights every year. Maybe next year I will put some up just for her. If I can remember to.
Frankensteinbeck
@WaterGirl:
While the specific reference may feel out of date, the phenomenon it describes is alive and flourishing. I think I witnessed its apotheosis this year when some pundits declared that Dobbs would help Republicans in the midterms, because Democrats would focus on it rather than issues voters care about.
Old Dan and Little Ann
I’ve got a lot of bones to pick with you people. And now you’re gonna hear about it!
I’m going to add one more detail from my Christmas Morning. My obnoxious bil who is nearing 40 and never had a real job in his life was very excited about his $400+ dollar signed Josh Allen card. When he started saying how great Putin is and that he’s so tall, I told all my in-laws they should’ve pooled their money for a one way ticket to Russia for him instead of a Josh Allen card. I added I hope he was some new brownshirts to unwrap when he got back home.
Baud
@Another Scott: Thanks!
mrmoshpotato
@SuzieC:
Sanctioned into the Sun?
PAM Dirac
@Sister Golden Bear:
Uggh. I was a manager for an IT group in a scientific program. My boss at one point gave me a bit of grief about one of my staff, he didn’t see why she was needed. I asked him when he accessed the data at 4am on Sunday or all the other off hours he got a chance to play with data instead of budgets, did he ever have a problem? He said no. I said that was because X was obsessive about making sure the data was correct, uploaded correctly and on time, and if it wasn’t she would badger people until it was. What he took for granted wasn’t magic, it was people who worked their ass off to make it happen. He never bothered me about her again.
Starfish
@UncleEbeneezer: I am extremely vocal about the anti-vaccine nonsense and pretty vocal but deeply nuanced about racism.
piratedan
my Festivus grievance is would someone please inform Evangelical Christians that there’s also a New Testament and that if they really wanted to embrace their faith, maybe they should become familiar with it.
the hypocritically false sanctimony that they swaddle themselves in is nauseating.
David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch
Programing note:
Dick Cavett has produced some remarkable documentaries on Vietnam, on Watergate, on Muhammad Ali. On Tuesday he premieres a gem about Groucho Marx on PBS (trailer)
Also on Tuesday, the Kennedy Center Honors debuts on CBS. Which brings to mind Ann and Nancy Wilson’s literal show-stopping performance of “Stairway to Heaven” from 2012 (video).
mrmoshpotato
@PAM Dirac: What a jerk. Thanks for setting him straight.
Steve in the ATL
@Baud: yuck it’s far too sweet for my palate, as is Turkish Delight. At least that was true the last time I was in Turkey, which was almost…two weeks ago.
CaseyL
@Alison Rose: A friend of mine had nearly the exact same sequence of events happen to her, and one thing the doctors immediately tested for was Deep Vein Thrombosis (clots are closely associated with DVT) – which can be quickly, suddenly fatal. I hope they can test your father for it – and I very much hope he can go home soon.
My grievances?… so many of my electrical devices decided to stop working at the same time. Baseboard heater has been replaced (kind of non-optional with the crazy cold weather we had, and might have again).
Dishwasher next on the list for me to Call A Repairperson about…and there is my sub-grievance!:
Unless you’re prepared to pay over $1000 for a major appliance, expect that major appliance to be a piece of crap. My dishwasher stopped working juuuuust beyond its 1 year warranty, and I’ve been told the problem is probably the motor, because Whirlpool dishwashers are (in)famous for having lousy motors that have to replaced after a couple of years. My previous dishwasher had to be carried out after 15 years because it was falling apart, but it could still by god wash dishes.
The fact that you can’t get reliable, sturdy, long lasting major appliances anymore unless you’re willing to pay through the nose for them (and, basically, for a lot of bells and whistles you don’t need and aren’t interested in) makes me really angry. More late-stage capitalism where everything is a scam, with planned obsolescence now marked in months rather than years.
Then there’s my vacuum cleaner, which for some reason isn’t sucking stuff into the main disposal cartridge but only gets it barely out of the sucker-upper. I vacuum, and the floor looks pretty much like it did before I vacuumed. Just like dishes come out of the dishwasher at least as dirty as they went in.
Grrr. Grrrrr. Makes me mad.
Dan B
@UncleEbeneezer: Thanks for posting your take on hate speech. I’m wondering if and/or when the violence will arrive in Sesttle but then recall there have been school shootings and transformer station attacks.
Another Scott
@Baud: 👍
Cheers,
Scott.
Alison Rose
Thanks for the kind words, all. Sorry, I’d forgotten to come back to the thread for a bit. Busy watching WIRED videos to distract myself, LOL.
Mousebumples
My grievances are basically work interpersonal drama. Nothing too major – but I’m in sore need of a break.
To generalize, I’m more outgoing than the rest of my small team, and one of my coworkers complained about something I said in Slack to our manager versus asking me about it herself. (officially, she didn’t want it known who made the complaint either, but – again – small team, and I can figure it out) Made me feel like I was back in high school, versus working in a professional field with others who have post-graduate degrees. 🙄
Geminid
@Geminid: Overheard at a Florida club December 31st:
“No. Kari and Blake are here, and Dr. Oz is at that table over there. But Kevin couldn’t make it. He hasn’t lost yet.”
persistentillusion
@CaseyL: If you are dealing with pet hair, your vac may just be clogged. I had the same experience, and with the aid of several chopsticks was able to de-hair the vac which then worked as intended. Remarkably gross.
trollhattan
@JPL: If they’re smart, Brazil won’t let him back into the country. Bolsonaro is one evil mofo.
sab
Just talked to my sister and she gave me my trans niece phone number. Numbers reversed otherwise fucked up. Sister did not do that. Give up on trying to contact? Niece doens’t want contact. Bad number. I don’t know. I am not close to her but she was my favorite niece. But her family is comp.icated and I don’t want to interfere. But she ismy niece And I would like contact.
Spinning my wheels here. Time to give up. Waste of time. Too bad. Niece is gone.
CaseyL
@persistentillusion: You may be right! Not just cat hair (and floofy cat hair at that), but MY hair. Based on how much I pull from the roller, it’s a miracle there’s any left on my head!
eclare
@David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch:
Don’t forget Lenny Kravitz’s version of “Whole Lotta Love.” Oh my.
He rocked that mic stand’s world.
trollhattan
Good lord, how can so much stupid fit into one pair of shoes? Does he have “Remember: inhale” tattooed to the back of his hand?
WaterGirl
@Steve in the ATL: You have to eat baklava in very small bites, between sips of beer.
zhena gogolia
@Old Dan and Little Ann: Putin is tall???
Dan B
@CaseyL: I bought a fairly plain Bosch dishwasher 13 years ago and a Shark bagless vacuum at the same time. They’re both going strong. The vacuum has the strongest suction of any vacuum I’ve ever experienced.
MagdaInBlack
@Old Dan and Little Ann: I’m curious how things went from then on…..
geg6
@David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch:
It brought the remaining members of Led Zeppelin to tears. It was amazing. I always watch and enjoy the Kennedy Center Honors shows. Always great stuff.
trollhattan
@piratedan: Since covid the Jehovah’s Witnesses have not been haunting our door; instead they seem to have reverted to “Dear neighbor” letters written in a child’s hand with the JH church return address. I assume they’re keeping the kids in a room and have them copy the note, over and over and over. Of course they have all that free time since they don’t waste any on Christmas or birthdays or other forms of potential childhood fun.
WaterGirl
@trollhattan:
What the hell is a $400+ dollar signed Josh Allen card? Or am I better off not knowing?
sab
Re my niece: I am not anonymous. Neither is my sister. You give us a bad phone number when you know who we are and that we love you. Goodbye. That is who you are. Bye.
schrodingers_cat
Not a grievance at all but an update from my SIL who underwent major brain surgery in September. I just had a Zoom with her yesterday.
She looks good. Her hair has grown back and she is back at work. Thanks to everyone who inquired about her and kept her in your thoughts.
opiejeanne
I don’t have much to grouse about, other than people who don’t bother to vote, but all I can say right now is that I thank God that plumbing works without electricity, and I just wish our water heater did too.
schrodingers_cat
@opiejeanne: How are you feeling after the fall?
trollhattan
@WaterGirl: SWAG a football trading card for the current Buffalo Bills QB. Who may or may not be presently dead from exposure, so…investment?
Honestly sounds like somebody is emulating Kevin, from “Kevin Can Go F*ck Himself.” Kids, do not be Kevin.
bbleh
@WaterGirl: Check with your accountant to see if it qualifies as a charitable deduction for providing a free community medical service.
Oh, and as to grievances: utility companies that were privatized during the Reagan administration (efficiency! freedom from the dead hand of government!), immediately started cutting costs which in turn reduced their reliability (especially in, ahem, bad weather), and — Merry Christmas ratepayers! — now more outages that last longer!
Another Scott
@WaterGirl:
It’s a lesser version of the $250,000 one.
People are weird.
Cheers,
Scott.
pat
OK, I apologize if this is a tacky inappropriate question, but is a “trans niece” female transitioning to male? Already transitioned from male to female? I just don’t know what this actually means, sorry.
Ruckus
@RobertDSC-iPhone 8:
I’ve had both hands in navicular casts, that’s where the hand is bent 90 deg up, like doing a perpetual pushup. Now luckily it was not both at the same time…..
karen marie
@pat: I can’t believe you even bring that stuff into your house! I open my mailbox, look through it for anything actually important – like an arrest warrant or an envelope from the Mineral of the Month Club – and toss the rest directly into the recycle bin.
That leads me to an actual Festivus gripe. The people in the apartment complex where I live were so disgusting for so long (throwing plastic containers covered in food into the recycle bin) that the recycle company said “fuck it, we’re not picking up recycling from you pigs anymore.” So now all my paper and plastic just goes straight into the dumpster. It absolutely kills me. I still separate my trash in the house (I create far more recyclable trash than trash-trash) both to keep in practice and because I don’t have to take the trash out as often. (I use plastic shopping bags as trash bags, so I do take out the “wet” trash once or twice a week.)
I’m almost more angry at the management for not sending out notices to stop the practice before the recycle company could stop servicing the complex than the disgusting pigs who were doing it.
Also, I’m fat and getting fatter despite only eating enough to survive.
suzanne
Is anyone else following the absolute meltdown on Southwest Airlines?! Hot damn. What a mess.
I have some friends who work in the airline industry, and a couple who are flight attendants for SWA. One of them has been trying to get home for days and has been on hold for something like twelve hours, only for his flights to get canceled over and over.
I’m so sick of companies not knowing how to deal with challenges like weather. Weather happens. Big storms happen, every year. It is their responsibility to plan for contingencies and to not lose their operational knowledge. I’m so sick of this push to be super-lean at the cost of any degree of resiliency in operations. They’re counting on their employees to be resilient and resourceful — but only on their own cost.
Literally, I don’t know how anyone runs a business this way. Shit happens all the time. How can you not plan for it, build in redundancy, try to get ahead of issues?! Fuck, it makes me so mad.
WaterGirl
@sab: Maybe it’s not your niece who’s behind the fucked up phone number
Do you know her address? Or her previous address. Anyone would be happy knowing th they are your favorite X. Maybe you could drop her a note?
Geminid
@WaterGirl: Josh Allen plays quarterback for the Buffalo Bills. He’s quite good, and he represents the team well in the community. So I guess if you’re gonna have a $400 signed card one of Allen is as good any. At least it won’t take up much space.
eclare
@Dan B: I bought a Bosch dishwasher maybe ten years ago, and it came with a five year warranty. In the fifth year something happened to the control panel, I found a Bosch certified repair person, and the entire fix, parts and labor, was free.
MomSense
My lower back is giving me grief and now it is radiating into my hip. I had X-rays on Friday and will hopefully find out what is going on tomorrow. It’s like pulling teeth to get imaging.
No, I don’t want to try physical therapy before getting a diagnosis.
WaterGirl
@Another Scott: Wow.
Dan B
@schrodingers_cat: Great news about your SIL. Modern medicine has gotten great in many areas.
karen marie
@David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch: I would have bet cash money Dick Cavett was dead. How the hell is he still alive, never mind working
ADD: “Stairway to Heaven” was the theme of my high school prom. That’s a memory I’d rather forget.
cckids
I’ll join. The company I work for was sold in April; they let my arm of the co. know within 6 weeks that they were going to split off a few parts of the original company and sell them. That sale has now gone through, as of this week.
So, this year, I have had the fab experience of wading through and choosing benefits THREE SEPARATE TIMES.
Makes me stabby.
Two rabbits
@WaterGirl:
Sorry, could have been less cryptic…. Maybe 3 weeks back there was a post about BJ ‘22 GOTV efforts. It laid out a schedule for several posts, I thought it said the Michigan one would be the following week.
No complaints if it was delayed, just basking in happiness about all D representation for me, and a D majority state leg. :-). !!!
Ruckus
@pat:
I brought a shedder that cuts everything into little bitty chunks. I have also sent back messages written on sales crap to say insurance companies wanting to sell me (73 yrs old, no kids or family) shitty policies or really anything that is an entire waste of time and to fuck off and stop sending me their crap. I do this on the enclosed, addressed forms, using a sharpie. Usually takes about 3 times before they get the message.
WaterGirl
@MomSense: Sounds like you will have to be your own advocate. Give ’em hell.
Cameron
@Ruckus: I’ll have to try that, although I get more bullshit phone calls than bullshit junk mail. Still too much of both, though.
WaterGirl
@Two rabbits: Oh, that!
Yes, that is still in the cards – just for after the 1st of the year.
I had the first post about written and then we learned about Tammy.
“Business as usual” didn’t feel quite right after John lost Tammy, and then I was doing the GoFundMe for Brian and then it was too close to Christmas.
But we’re definitely going to get back to that right after the `1st. Thanks for noticing, and caring!
trollhattan
Almost literally impossible to dance to, like “McArthur’s Park” and yet, your prom theme? Had a rival HS already claimed “Ballad of the Green Berets”?
Narya
@Alison Rose: I don’t know if this will reassure you in any way, but my dad has been dealing w bladder cancer for 20+ years. He’s92 and it’s not what will kill him. Happy to tell you what has worked and not, complications and such, if you want. Two other relatives had it as well. Do not want to impose, but WG can hook us up if you want and she is willing. Totally up to you, and good luck no matter what.
Steeplejack
@Baud:
Literally!
CaseyL
@Ruckus:
Sounds like a fun hobby :)
I just toss my junk mail. And that includes the perpetual begging letters from causes I actually support.
Ooh, and there’s another grievance for my Festivus observance! NGOs that used to be radical and action-oriented, who have now transitioned into institutionalized lobbying outfits.
They “develop relationships” with politicians, “raise awareness” of issues: IOW, they have meetings, banquets, conferences… but not one jot or tittle of successful legislation to show for it.
I went through my regular, automated contributions a couple of years ago, and discontinued so many groups I used to send money to regularly (*cough* Greenpeace*cough*).
different-church-lady
@Baud: Isn’t that all app updates?
trollhattan
@CaseyL: Speaking of NGOs, the perpetually pissy Afghan Taliban have declared all NGOs in-country must get rid of their wimmin folk, on account of they ain’t doing the head-covering thing to their satisfaction and thus UNCLEAN.
I think they’ve been studying Trump to learn “how to manbaby.” And also, the public flogging thing.
CarolPW
The kids getting chickenpox these days because their parents are anti-vaccination are going to have a major grievance to air later when they get shingles, as well as the women that get cervical cancer because they missed the HPV vaccine. And I have a grievance now about that.
persistentillusion
@CaseyL: Happy to help. Gross experiences should be shared in an informational manner!
persistentillusion
@zhena gogolia: Putin is tall compared to a slime mold, or a drain-bamaged in-law.
JPL
George Santos admitted fabricating certain parts of his bio, and in some cases said he used a poor choice of words. Odd way of saying I lied, but probably enough for Kevin.
FelonyGovt
My grievance- on one of few remaining arbitration cases, I’m part of a 3-arbitrator panel. The panel chair is a Luddite who barely understands email, and he has required the parties to send us hard copy exhibits. As a result I am surrounded by multiple 4 inch binders in my very small office, instead of having perfectly usable digital documents.
leeleeFL
@WaterGirl: And I second the idea! Or is that I third the idea! Yes, please and thank you!
trollhattan
Things that go boom in Russia, giving Russia problems.
Nice to know they had planned a Christmas (the other Christmas) missile barrage against Ukraine. Tough luck, Santa Putin.
JPL
@persistentillusion: I heard that he has to use a step stool to get into his shoes.
Geminid
I guess my Festivus gripe is all the language pedants here who keep trying to reign me in.
sab
@pat: Trans niece is male transitioning to female. How could you not know this? Ignorant beyond belief or just nasty pretending to be ignorant? Otherwise why would you ask? God knows you could poke around on the internet and learn.
Vile piece of work you are.
sab
@pat: who are you?
leeleeFL
@WaterGirl: as would ALL the flippin’ Karens! LOLOLOL
trollhattan
@JPL: ”Certain parts”? I’m searching for one accurate statement, and would want a count if he claims ten fingers and toes. Lying liar lies, film at ten.
Amir Khalid
@schrodingers_cat:
Wonderful news. More strength to your sister-in-law.
Old Dan and Little Ann
@MagdaInBlack: i commented on this last night. My wife and I gave him and my fil a rash of shit and they muttered themselves out the door. The 2 of them are internet trolls come to life. If it was my blood family I’d never talk to them again. Alas.
Brachiator
@schrodingers_cat:
Great news about your SIL.
I hope that things continue to go well.
Nelle
@Alison Rose: Oh, Alison. Tough times. You are in our thoughts.
WaterGirl
@sab: I believe that was a sincere question, absolutely not intended as shitty or nasty.
persistentillusion
@JPL: LOL.
West of the Rockies
@RobertDSC-iPhone 8:
That’s what she said.
Cameron
@Geminid: It’s “RAIN.” The word you’re thinking of is RAIN.
JPL
@trollhattan: Well Santos is ready to move on to help hi constituents fight crime. Not sure if that includes forgery or not.
opiejeanne
@schrodingers_cat: I feel pretty good, except for a sore spot on my head just above my left ear, and the pulled muscle next to my ribs that still makes me whimper when I sneeze, but I’m much better today than just a few days ago.
the whole neighborhood is roaring with generators and now ours has been added to the chorus.
Steeplejack
@Geminid:
Their doing it for you’re own good.
Scout211
@Cameron: Naw, he is the reining champion of grievances.
I, for one, appreciate the pendants here.
Steeplejack
@sab: Jesus, lighten up.
Marc
@eclare: We purchased a Bosch dishwasher roughly 20 years ago, after 10 years the control board literally melted and shorted out (luckily someone was home at the time). We called the local Bosch dealer, they also fixed ours for free. There was a design defect in that particular model and an associated recall, but notifying owners of a dishwasher is apparently even more difficult than owners of cars. Aside from that one issue, that dishwasher is still providing trouble-free service.
West of the Rockies
@Sure Lurkalot:
I recall a search for a tenure-track professor position and someone on the committee lamenting finding no one who could teach feminist literary theory and Chinese folklore. Seemed a not wildly likely pairing to me.
SteveinPHX
@cckids:
Holy shit!
pat
@sab:
Ignorant beyond believe would cover it.
I am so sorry, but I find it confusing and I never will again.
Thank you for the response,
WaterGirl
@Steeplejack: You are bad!
Amir Khalid
@JPL:
As I understand, George Santos created a completely fictional version of himself. And now that he’s been found out, he has no credibility left and he has to be a drag on the party. If Kevin the Leader were actually that, he’d have said something to distance the Republican House caucus from Santos’ dishonesty — some version of “this is not who we are”. But of course that’s not going to happen.
Amir Khalid
@Geminid:
Ahem!
opiejeanne
@pat: I assumed her relative was transitioning to female, but I wasn’t entirely sure.
please Don’t leave because she snapped at you.
Nukular Biskits
Late to the game again.
Are we still airing grievances? ;>)
Geminid
@Amir Khalid: Kevin McCarthy won’t do any distancing until after January 3rd. He might need Santos’s vote to be elected Speaker.
Someone pointed out a fun midterm fact: in the last weeks of the campaign, when people realized that those New York seats were within reach, Republican groups directed a lot of money to the other Republican candidates, but hardly any to Santos. They knew.
Matt McIrvin
@pat: The way to remember it is that the rule for referring to a trans person is to use the person’s stated gender, regardless of what they were assigned at birth or what medical treatments they might or might not have had. So your sibling’s kid who is trans M->F is a niece, and F->M would be a nephew.
(If the person is nonbinary, I think the still-somewhat-obscure word “nibling” is used by some people as a gender-neutral term. It was unfortunately used by an English translator of Tove Jansson’s Moomin books to refer to a small creature who liked to nibble on things–but I think the Swedish-language original identified it as a rock hyrax!)
Nelle
@CaseyL: I was getting prepared to complain about this. I renew once a year, in November. Starting in January, I get solicitations to donate every month. They use my donation to ask me to donate. This likely will be the last year I do so. We even tried to respond to Doctors Without Borders emergency request for Ukraine. Took them four months to process the donation. Bah. Humbug.
Ruckus
@Cameron:
I only have a cell phone so I set it to only ring on numbers listed in my phone. Everything else goes to a notice on the screen. I also block advertisers on my email and messages on the phone. Been doing this for some time so I get far fewer crank calls than I used to. But crap mail, now that sucks donkey things.
Tehanu
@Alison Rose:
Sorry for you and your parents, going thru this. Hope he gets better and can come home.
My Festivus grievance is that I took a week’s vacation to cope with Christmas and it was way more stressful than working. Some vacation it turned out to be. I used to love Christmas but this year it was just a chore and nobody seemed to even be interested. Of course, I realize this isn’t even in the same universe as having a parent hospitalized with cancer. I just wish I felt better about it.
schrodingers_cat
@Baud: Changed his name IIRC.
different-church-lady
@Nukular Biskits: not just airing, we appear to be creating fresh ones.
schrodingers_cat
@Alison Rose: I hope your dad gets some relief soon. Paws crossed.
EthylEster
@Dan B: Must be the same Shark model as mine. And pretty cheap too.
Nukular Biskits
@different-church-lady:
LOL!
Then maybe I should pile on!
JPL
@Amir Khalid: Josh Marshall is hinting that he might not be a citizen and that would pose real problems for Kevin.
Cameron
@Matt McIrvin: Wasn’t that Wagner, with that “Wring of the Nibbling?” Or “Ringue Nibling?” Or WTF it was.
jnfr
@mali muso:
This is so sweet! You have a budding TikTok influencer on your hands!
EthylEster
@sab: Dude/dudette, dial it back.
Scout211
@Matt McIrvin: Or, as in my family, “my sister’s adult child” because “nibling” is way too obscure for us. Maybe it will become more common in the future.
Ruckus
@Amir Khalid:
If Kevin the Leader were actually that, he’d have said something to distance the Republican House caucus from Santos’ dishonesty — some version of “this is not who we are”. But of course that’s not going to happen.
As you point out, Kevin isn’t a leader and never will be, and he can’t say “this is not who we are,” because it’s exactly who they are.
WaterGirl
@Nukular Biskits: Is it Balloon Juice? In a day ending in Y?
The answer is YES!
Rugosa
@Baud:
I am upset we don’t have a “like” button.
WaterGirl
@Matt McIrvin: Not speaking for pat because I don’t know for sure, but I think what might have been confusing is the phrase “she was my favorite niece”. If you don’t know, it could sound like she had been female (niece) transitioning to male (nephew).
Geminid
@JPL: When- and if- George Santos walks into the House Chamber on January 3, it could be the first time he’s been seen in public in weeks. And his vote might decide the Speaker election.
That’s kind of drama I want to see that day!
opiejeanne
@Matt McIrvin: That’s what I assumed SAB meant, because that’s the way I think of people who are transitioned or have completed the transition, and that’s the ideal
And what WaterGirl just said. That’s the reason I was unsure.
WaterGirl
@Tehanu:
I laughed at that. Out loud. Not because it’s funny, but because that is often the way of things.
Cameron
@JPL: You mean he never became a US citizen? He’s still Brazilian? He’s a Glenn Greenwald mole?
WaterGirl
@mali muso: Not everyone is lucky enough to find their calling so early in life.
How awesome to have a music teacher like that!
opiejeanne
THE POWER IS BACK ON!!! YAY!!!
The heater is now trying to bring the temperature indoors to something above 55f.
pat
@opiejeanne:
Leave? I got some information that I will be able to use every time I read “trans….” whatever. It was never clear to me, for some reason.
BJ comes through again.
Nukular Biskits
Since we’re all bitching about something, I’d like to toss this one out for consideration:
It sucks that my home state fought tooth ‘n’ nail to ban abortion … without having a single damned plan in place for when it won that fight.
Even now, the state’s top political leadership has done little to nothing to put any substance behind the “pro-life” rhetoric.
Well, other than to allow generous tax write-offs to corporations that donate to those fake “crisis pregnancy” centers.
Josie
@WaterGirl:
Agreed. I found it confusing. Pat’s question seemed to me to be a valid one, not nasty or mean spirited at all.
WaterGirl
@opiejeanne: Yay! That’s a big Joe Biden deal!
frosty
@RobertDSC-iPhone 8:
Try breaking your right (dominant) wrist. Like, during finals week in college, then having to write out essay questions with the wrong hand. I got fairly ambidextrous…. but I never got used to wiping my butt lefty.
Scout211
@Cameron: we won’t know for sure until we see the Long Form ™️ citizenship documents. I’m sure the Republicans will treat him just like they did Obama.
s/
Geminid
@opiejeanne: Was your power outage weather related, or enemy action? I think authorities said there were three or four power grid attacks in Washington state yesterday.
JPL
@Geminid: Imagine if you will, being the first in your family to attend college and then elected to the House of Representatives. Now imagine being sworn into office and arrested not for all the lies, but because your citizenship forms were forged. That’s what I want to see.
zhena gogolia
@pat: you have a good attitude!
Cameron
@Scout211: Oh, I agree they’ll get right on it. As soon as they’re done with the Hunter Biden hearings. About 2030 or so.
JPL
@Cameron: I have no idea and at this point I am imagining if you will but
from TPM
2/ But the post doesn’t get into a lot of the bigger problems for Santos, which include real questions about immigration fraud, questions about where he was born and his citizenship status and serious questions abt the accuracy of his financial disclosures.
Ruckus
@Matt McIrvin:
I have had bi and gay family members and friends over the last 5 or more decades who have died at ages considered old, I’ve known and given eulogies for some of them, I’ve been the only straight person at parties of 15-20 people and I still don’t know all the current/proper/accepted words for all the variations of human sexuality. A lot of this out in the open stuff is relatively new and a lot of people are far less exposed than I am. Having this rather long history I know that a lot of this has been going on for most of humanity, just not nearly as openly. And relatively, the percentage of humans belonging in all of the other definitions is not as large as some assume, although out of what, 7 billion in the world, the absolute number would likely stun most. But then in the past a lot of people just lived the lives they were told they had to.
I wish there was a lot more discussion of this so more people could see and understand that humanity is not the binary structure they think it is.
Citizen Alan
I don’t know if this is a “grievance,” but a few hours ago, I applied for a job in Salt Lake City. I had a second round interview already for a job in Houston, and a pretty good interview for a job in Tallahassee. They’re all great jobs, but I am dismayed that the only jobs open in my preferred field are in ultra-red states and, particularly with regards to Texas and Florida, states run by people who I genuinely consider to be inhuman monsters.
Ohio Mom
@Sister Golden Bear: I feel for you. That was the story of Ohio Dad’s career in software. It is the reason he retired a little sooner than we had planned in fact. So I know how stressful it is. I am sending thoughts of good luck your way.
For the people who like to grouse about government, all I can say is, they must not have any experience in private industry. The corporate world is one big ball of mismanagement.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Anyway
@frosty:
Ooh, I have a grievance — TMI!
Wyatt Salamanca
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Frontrunner for quote of the week
JPL
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I copied this a few comments above but did you see this from TPM josh?
2/ But the post doesn’t get into a lot of the bigger problems for Santos, which include real questions about immigration fraud, questions about where he was born and his citizenship status and serious questions about the accuracy of his financial disclosures.
I’ve followed Josh for years and he doesn’t just toss things out without some type of evidence.
Geminid
@JPL: I want to see Santos cast the deciding vote that puts Kevin McCarthy in the Speakers chair.
Then I want to see Santos stick around for a while so reporters can find new lies and crimes, and get to the bottom of where all his funny money came from. I bet some of that money is Russian money, most likely from fellow Long Island resident and Russian oligarch Viktor Vekselberg.
I want to see weeks of a steady drip drip of damaging stories, grand jury appearances, Republican politicians squirming and no commenting, and then finally indictments on multiple felonies.
And I want see Democrats wrap that lying grifter around Republicans’ necks so tight their eyes bug out.
JPL
@Geminid: That works for me.
Starfish
@suzanne: My mom’s flight home was bumped back four days due to this mess.
Josie
@Geminid:
Now tell us how you really feel.
Wyatt Salamanca
@Geminid:
Good imagery. Republicans have a knack for recruiting only the best whackos.
David ⛄ 🎅The Establishment🎄 🦌 🕎 Koch
@Wyatt Salamanca:
Only the best people
Ohio Mom
@bbleh: I’ve long thought that someone should put together a coffee table book of all the cascading harms set in motion by Reagan.
I can see in my mind’s eye the pages about deregulating utilities — some graphs and then photos of people suffering from outages. Maybe the casket of someone whose breathing machine stopped working when the electric went off. Stuff like that.
There certainly would be enough material for a big book.
Ruckus
@Anyway:
Living without the use of your dominate hand is tough, even if you are rather ambidextrous. It’s easier to lose use of your non dominate hand, but not by as much as one might think. I’ll spare you the details but take it from someone who’s had, at different times, both hands in what’s known as a navicular cast.
Geminid
@Wyatt Salamanca: I think they outdid themselves on this one. And they could not have picked a better time, either.
pat
I was actually just looking for some information, and by the comments since then it seems I am not the only one who can be a bit confused by the terminology. I should also say that I feel sorry for sab that she has lost contact with her niece. It must be a bit traumatic for the entire family.
mrmoshpotato
@opiejeanne: Hooray!
Soprano2
It’s too fucking cold! It’s supposed to be 60 degrees on Thursday, but that’s 3 days away!
mrmoshpotato
@Nukular Biskits:
Shitheads finally caught the car.
Dahlia
@Geminid: We had some high winds in the neighborhood this morning and at least one tree came down onto the power lines.
Ohio Mom
@Citizen Alan: Maybe the next job will be a stepping stone to another one in a Blue state?
@karen marie: Goggled it, Dick Cavett is 86!
Geminid
@Citizen Alan: You’ll find some good people in those towns if that’s where you end up. In Texas for instance, for every 11 people who voted for Gregg Abbott there were 9 who voted for Beto O’Rourke.
I always thought Salt Lake City would be a nice place to live. They even elect a Democratic mayor from time to time.
Steve in the ATL
@Citizen Alan: all are probably improvements over Mississippi, but still deeply flawed. Hopefully you’ll have multiple offers and will get to decide where to go and consider which gives you the best career prospects.
I would pick SLC first out of those cities, and Tallahassee last (it’s a dump). Of course, with Houston there’s the risk of running into Immanentize at the airport….
Glidwrith
@Scout211: Just asked my 16 YO, knew immediately who a nibling is.
CarolPW
@Geminid: Including a lesbian Democratic mayor.
mrmoshpotato
@Soprano2: How much snow do you have? I’m expecting Chicago to be sloppy as hell later this week.
Geminid
@Dahlia: That’s good to know. People are always losing power one place or another, but the intentional attacks are very concerning. They’ll probably continue, at least in rural areas where the substations are more isolated.
Authorities really need to start catching the perpetrators and slapping prison sentences on them. Under federal law it can be a twenty sentence if damage exceeds a certain limit. That’s a lot of time to pull and could deter others.
It can be a life sentence if someone dies because of the crime. That’s a possibility in the Moore County, North Carolina attacks because a deceased person was found in a cold house in Southern Pines, four days after the power went out. The autopsy report is pending.
mvr
@Ohio Mom:
And the giant oak tree he planted at my next door neighbor’s house in Lincoln (when he lived there as a kid in the 1950s) has now lost most of its limbs. Nearly also took out a neighbor who was working on his new truck and had just walked away when a branch came down. Was a wonderful tree in its day. One of my favorite neighbors bought that house from the Cavetts in 1957, but he died in 2003.
Offered in the tradition of someone who is always too late to the thread.
Fake Irishman
@Citizen Alan:
Texas is politically obnoxious on the statewide level, but I genuinely like living in Houston (and I am a rust belt native that likes seasons and will ferociously defend my place of birth and residences of young adulthood). It is a young, diverse metro with a lot of energy and constantly remaking itself.
The statewide numbers in 2022 weren’t great, but in seat numbers Dems held most of what they won back in the ledge and consolidated control county level in 2018 and 2020. This wasn’t 2010. A bad election means you los by 10 statewide, not 20. And that gives you some opportunities in a good year. We have money, we have good candidates and population trends are probably mor in our favor than theirs.
Jager
@persistentillusion: Hey, he’s superhuman, at age 62 Putin scored 8 goals in a KLH All Star Hockey game. And he never played a game of organized hockey in his life.
StringOnAStick
My grievance is that I discovered that the Canadian couple we were good friends with and then fell out of touch with but just reconnected are conspiracy theorists now. And they’re coming to visit in September next year. Seriously, they believe that Justin Trudeau is the illegitimate love child conceived while Margaret and Pierre had their honeymoon in Cuba, then 8.5 months later Justin was born. The father you ask? Fidel Castro. Come on, compare the photos, isn’t it obvious!?!?! Yeah, I got home from our mutual ski trip and did a little research. Nice theory bro but it is off on the timeline by 5 years. They are convinced Canada is moving to their version of universal basic income, and of course that will be extracted from them, the wage workers. Now I understand the complaints over the years of old friends just falling away for some “unknown” reason. Argh. A hearty fuck you to Putin for yet another example of $ very effectively going to destroy the grey spaces of society.
Ohio Mom
@StringOnAStick: I guess next September you are going to busy washing your hair or something.
mrmoshpotato
@StringOnAStick:
September is a great time of year for a vacation somewhere else. :)
And Trudeau is clearly Raoul’s bastard son. Duh. 😁
Soprano2
@mrmoshpotato: Not much, maybe 2″. The snow is minor compared to the temps.
Paul in KY
@Alison Rose: Think you won. So sorry for your family, dad especially! Hope he gets out of there pronto!
Paul in KY
@jnfr: You might try DHL. Cheaper than FedEx.
Paul in KY
@UncleEbeneezer: Good for you!
Paul in KY
@Old Dan and Little Ann: Tell him Josh Allen didn’t really sign it. Autopen.
Paul in KY
@piratedan: The New Testament has too much hippy stuff in it & not enough smiting.
Paul in KY
@trollhattan: I always felt sorry for the poor kids trapped in that.
Paul in KY
@Amir Khalid: He won. That’s all that matters for them.
Paul in KY
@JPL: Ooooh! That would be something he (I guess. Don’t really know) would be tossed out on! Hope it is true.
Paul in KY
@Citizen Alan: I would go Tallahassee. Pretty close to some awesome beaches. Best of luck on em all.
Shana
@Baud: Quinn Cummings has a monthly Shouting Day, on the 12th if I recall correctly, which is basically a monthly Airing of Grievances.